Towson University alumna wins Fulbright award to teach abroad

By Cody Boteler on May 8, 2020

Towson University’s Katie Cowan ’19, a December Honors College graduate, was selected to serve as a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant in the Czech Republic.

Cowan is TU’s 16th Fulbright awardee since 1968 and the school’s fifth since 2010. Only 1,800 individuals are chosen each year to receive support from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

“It’s a huge accomplishment and a huge honor, and I feel grateful to be a part of a group of such caring and intellectual people,” says Cowan. “I worked for it, and it really paid off. It’s very rewarding.”

Eleven TU students and recent graduates worked with TU Fulbright advisers to apply during the 2020–2021 application cycle.

Cowan worked with Colleen Ebacher, a professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and a member of TU’s Fulbright committee for 20 years. Ebacher says Cowan is an ideal applicant because of her interest in others, academic achievement and willingness to try new experiences.

“For me, this is a particularly rewarding award because this is my last advisee for Fulbright, and she won the award,” Ebacher says. “It was all Katie. I was glad to give her a little boost.”

Cowan graduated with a degree in elementary education and a minor in music. If all goes to plan, she will leave for the Czech Republic in January 2021 for six months.

“ Before I came to Towson, I didn’t know nearly as much about the opportunities that were out there for traveling the world...or the problems that face schools ”

She will be teaching English in a high school, though she does not yet know where in the Czech Republic she’ll be. High schools there focus on specific disciplines rather than general education like in the U.S., and Cowan says she’s excited to teach in an unfamiliar environment.

She currently teaches in an elementary school in her native Frederick County. As an undergraduate, she student taught in Baltimore County and Baltimore City.

“Before I came to Towson, I didn’t know nearly as much about the opportunities that were out there for traveling the world, what goes on in schools that are different than my own or the problems that face schools—especially in some low-income areas,” Cowan says.

After finishing her Fulbright grant, Cowan plans to pursue a master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages and ultimately wants to return to greater Baltimore to teach.

“My teachers and professors have had profound impacts on my life and where I want to go, and I want to give that opportunity to any kid who needs it,” Cowan says.

Cowan feels prepared for the Fulbright program and to pursue a master’s degree because of her broad undergraduate experience.

"We are extremely proud of Katie’s stellar accomplishments. I believe that she will serve as an inspiration for more outstanding Towson students to seek out the Fulbright as an opportunity for them and to also apply," says Clare Muhoro, director of competitive fellowships and Awards in the Office of the Provost.

Towson University students looking to apply for the Fulbright can find university resources online.

In addition to student teaching, Cowan participated in an international program called Summer Music in Tuscany and conducted original research on the efficacy of game-based learning to help English language learners at a Baltimore County school. She received a first-place award at TU’s Fall Celebration of Scholarship & Learning for her research.

Rhiannon Napoli Clements, Honors College director of co-curricular programs and constituent relationships, says what Cowan has accomplished will set her up for continued success.

“She’s the kind of student that we hope others look to and see what they can do to be successful too,” Clements says.

Three other Towson University students were selected as alternates or semifinalists in this cycle of Fulbright awardees.

Windsidoma “Ida” Djigumide was selected as an alternate for the English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant in Benin. As an alternate, she could be promoted to finalist status if additional funding becomes available. Djigumide graduated in spring 2019 with her master’s degree from TU’s Department of Women & Gender Studies program focusing on women, health and sexuality.

She learned about Benin as an undergraduate student when she represented the country as part of the Model United Nations and worked with Fulbright campus adviser professor Diane Luchese to prepare her application.

Senior Sophia Thrappas was also selected as an alternate for an ETA grant in Spain. Thrappas is pursuing a double major in health education and promotion with a focus on community health, and foreign languages with a Spanish concentration.

She studied abroad in Guatemala in 2017 and in Ecuador in 2018. Thrappas is a member of the Honors College and worked closely with Katie Villamar, associate director of the Study Abroad Office to prepare her application.

Jaimie Kittle, who graduated last summer with a master’s degree in biology, was also selected as a semifinalist for an Open Study/Research Grant in Ghana.

Kittle has researched tortoise conservation, a field she hopes to continue pursuing. She worked with Sonali Raje, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, during her application.